The Silver Arcanine
by Zygger Wolfio
Summary: A growlithe almost lost his life trying to save his friend. Though that life threating experience changed him inside and out. This change not only affected his appearance, but his life as well.
1. Memories

"Kriz you know your my bestest friend right?," looking over at a small growlithe.

"Well duh Zyruss! I mean we have been friends and next door neighbors for like 6 years. Your my friend until the very end. No matter what. Even after we evolve, we will still be the best of buds," Kriz said with tears forming in his eyes.

I looked over at Kriz to see him struggling to hold back his tears. Even though I wasn't gay I still nuzzled him to make him feel better and let him know his words were appreciated. As he felt me nuzzling his neck he began to let his tears slowly soak his fur. After the first few seconds of this he didn't do anything, but later on he began to nuzzle back. The nuzzle helped him calm down from his teary moment. Feeling his head resting on my shoulder I whispered,

"We will always be friends Kriz no matter what happens and whenever you need me I will be there for you. I'm your best friend and that's just one of the many things we do."

"You always know the right words to say. You know that Zyruss?," sniffled Kriz.

"No. Not really. I don't like to brag about things so I wouldn't say yes to your question.," I said while brushing my paw against his face wiping away the rest of his tears. After I was sure he was ok we continued to walk towards the river. When we were upon the bank of the river I saw that Kriz was sitting pretty close to the edge. Even though I was sitting next to him I wasn't sitting as close to the bank as he was. So out of wisdom I suggested,

"Kriz I think you should scoot back a little. Your a little too close to the bank of the river. You could fall in you know and that wouldn't be good for anyone."

I watched as he continued to sit there ignoring what I had just told him. Watching the water carefully I noticed that the water kept splashing near him turning the dirt he was sitting on to mud. Seeing this I walked over to Kriz to grab him and pull back a little. But right as I went to grab him he slid into the water being carried away by the fast current. I knew I couldn't get to him by just running so used agility to run faster, so I could get ahead of him. Hearing Kriz yelling for help my heart started pounding fiercely from this frightening event, I still managed to keep my composure and concentrate.

So I walked quickly, but carefully to the bank to try and grab Kriz. Knowing he was getting weaker from the water I knew I had to act fast. Steadying my balance I reached out as far as I could trying to reach him. Right as I grabbed his paw and drug him to land water splashed up against my hind paws. I knew I couldn't hold keep my balance with him, so I tossed him as far as I could on shore. Upon hearing a giant splash Kriz yelled,

"Zyruss! Noooooo!"

As the aggressiveness of the river carried me away I began feeling the pain of a thousand needles. The agony was matched to that of a poisoned Pokemon. No being able to swim didn't help me at all. So eventually I fainted from the pain and intake of too much water. Then I could feel myself drifting in the freezing waters hearing my name being called. My name was being called constantly, I could hear my mother's voice, then my dad's along with Kriz's. My dad tried to save me, but the raging water carried off a cliff away from Flame Valley.

Suddenly I sat up and looked around to see neatness and tidiness of my friend's cave. I thought for a second while placing my paw on my head. As I sat with my paw on my head I heard the lovely voice of a pokemon say,

"Zyruss? Deary did you have that dream again? Come on baby you gotta stop having those dreams honey. Your an arcanine now which means your an adult now."

I looked at the silhouette of what looked like a Typhlosion before remembering that it was Kaida. She was the most gentle and fragile Typhlosion I've ever met. Upon looking at her silhouette I felt the comforting warmth of the sun shining on my fur. As I continued to look at Kaida, her silhouette turned from black to her normal colors. Of course I didn't want to be rude so I responded to her question with a simple a "yes and an ok."

Feeling a little stiff I rose to my paws to stretch and making my bones sound off caused echoing in her cave. Before leaving her cave I told her I was "leaving, , but I'll be back." Since Kaida knew I was leaving I left the cave knowing she would be alert of anyone to enter her cave. While walking through the berry bushes and small trees I had to make sure I was prepared for an ambush or an attack. While wandering through the mass wilderness of Poke Island I couldn't help but hear rustling and crunching of old leaves.

I really didn't think too much of the sound so I continued my little morning walk. For minutes I roamed around minding my own business. Though when I came upon a gentle stream I didn't deny cool refreshing liquid. So I walked over to it and had a little drink. The taste was delicious though it could never replace the taste of Flame Valley water. Once my thirst was quenched I brought my dripping wet maw out of the water. When I looked across the stream I saw another arcanine which was unusual.

This arcanine I stared at obviously was a female. I could tell by how long her fur was. Most female arcanines in Flame Valley had very curly fur that sometimes had designs in it. I was curious to whether she had a design or not, but it was obvious that I was to far away to see. As she finished she noticed me looking at her. I knew it was rude to stare but her fur glowed as the sun beamed upon it. It was an astonishing site, but it soon ended as she walked off.

Though the site of another arcanine made me wonder for a while. So instead of standing I sat down on the dew of the soft grass. I began pondering deeply on my previous life before I came here. I remembered being found and taken care of after my heroic action to save Kriz. Though I did remember something else as well. I kept thinking deeply until my sixth sense kicked in. So instead of hearing my voice in my head I began seeing my younger self after I was rescued.

"Hurry! Hurry! He's badly injured! We have to get him some berries. Quickly!," one arcanine said.

"I'm on it," Kriz said as he ran off to the nearest bush with Oran berries.

Still unconscious I heard the voice of my crying mother ask, "Is he gonna be ok? Please tell me he's gonna be alright. Please!"

"Yeah. He's gonna make it don't worry once he eats the Oran berry that growlithe went to go get he'll just need to rest for a while."

"Here's the Oran berries you wanted. Sorry if they're wet. I didn't have another way of carrying them," Kriz says while letting Oran berries fall out of his maw.

Knowing I was too weak to eat the berries my mother chewed them for me so I wouldn't have to. With all the energy I had I got up, stumbled to the pill of Oran berry mush, and ate as much of it as I could before passing out. Seeing me fall Kriz rushed to where I was to keep me from hitting the ground. Right after thanking Kriz my mom picked me up with her maw gently and took me home.

As days went by I slept at home under the watchful eye of my mother. It was casual for my dad to check on me since he was always busy talking with the other fathers that lived there. Though one day my dad checked on me while my mom went to go get some supplies. Right in front of his eyes he saw me change. He thought I was gonna evolve, but I wasn't something else was happening. Something that has never happened to a growlithe before.

As my mother returned she saw my glowing form and shouted, "Oh my god!" She dropped the basket she had and ran beside my father. They looked at each other, then at me, and a few seconds later the vibrant glow faded away slowly. My parents couldn't believe what had happened.

A few seconds after my change I yawned and opened my eyes. I looked at my mom and dad to see them staring at me suspiciously. Of course my mother was relieved that I was alive, but my father didn't show any emotion whatsoever. Once again feeling my mom's soft nuzzle I heard her sniffle to say,

"Oh my baby! My baby! Your finally awake! Oh thank the elders that your awake!"

She kept me in an embracing nuzzle for at least 15 minutes before letting me go. Even though I felt as if was slowly suffocating from lack of oxygen I still tried to enjoy her hug. Right after she left out the room to pick up the supplies she dropped, my dad grabbed with his maw and used agility to run right past my mom without her noticing. In seconds I was sitting in front of the elders house. I blinked without stopping for 5 minutes before being able to see clearly again. I looked around for my father, but I couldn't see him.

'He must have went inside,' I thought to myself. Instead of just sitting there I got up and walked towards my friend Kriz. Knowing he would be happy to see me I ran over to him shouting,

"Hi! Kriz!"

He looked towards me and said with his slightly turned, "Zyruss? Zyruss!"

We ran to each other, but we couldn't stop so we ended up bumping into each other. Laughing uncontrollably Kriz said,

"Zyruss it's good to see your back to normal. Well almost normal anyway."

"Almost normal? What do you mean almost normal," I asked out of curiosity.

"Dude have you seen yourself? You're blue and silver dude, not orange," Kriz said while controlling his laughter. I looked at Kriz for a couple of seconds wondering if he was joking or not. Unknowing that my father and elders were behind me I accidentally sneezed. The sneeze was so strong that I used the move Icy Wind and blew myself back. While laying on my back I looked at the elders along with my father.

Knowing not the real reason they were there didn't keep me from smiling at them. While showing them my still developing fangs I heard one of them say, "he can't stay here anymore. The prophecy foretold 'The silver growlithe of snow will bring many ice storms for the destruction of the Flame Valley.'"

Immediately my smile went away from hearing this. Before I knew it I was being carried away. I shook and squirmed though it was no use. The elder who had me had one heck of a grip on my me with his maw. Knowing I couldn't get free I started screaming for my mom and dad. Knowing I wasn't gonna get anywhere by calling my dad since he was the one who told, plus he did move one inch when I called him. Hearing my voice my mother came running towards me, but was stopped by the elders along with my father. As I was carried away I felt my tears drenching my muzzle.

I took one last look at my mother before I saw her fade away from my view. While being carried away I felt a burning sensation building within me. I felt my anger building more and more until I screamed making a giant flame emit from my maw. Thinking I made him weaker I started smiling, but was soon disappointed when I saw him still carrying me. Looking at the giant mountains that Flame Valley dwell in made my sadness increase even more than before.

Trying not to cry I felt a depressing sadness reveal itself inside me. Once again I turned a little to face the elder that was carrying me. This time instead of using a fire attack I used the Icy Wind attack again. The feeling of knives stabbing him filled his whole body. The agonizing pain caused him to let me go. I saw him fall to the ground slowly though I was pretty sure he was ok. Though for some reason I was seeing his figure get smaller and smaller.

Before I realized it I was already going into a painful tumble. Sticks, rocks, and trees were hard to avoid though I managed to prevent myself from taking serious damage for a while. Rolling uncontrollably down the slope I began hitting more trees and feeling my fur being scratched away from the sharpness of the stones in my way. For almost 20 minutes I rolled down the rest of the mountain.

Once I was on flat land I started to slow down a little though I didn't stop. Right before I stopped I hit the hardest tree in my life and blacked out. When I woke up I was in the arms of what looked like a typhlosion, but I was too weak to concentrate. Soon after I woke up I went back to sleep from my damaged body.

As I saw pitch black darkness turn into vibrant light I knew I wasn't having a flashback anymore. Still sitting in front of the gently stream I decided to take a look in the water. Upon looking at my reflection I realized I would have walked away from me too. After taking a long sigh I got up and began gathering berries for Kaida. Once the basket I hid was revealed I used it to gather all of Kaida's favorite berries.

I filled the basket all the way to the brim before returning to her cave. Once I got back she thanked me and began crushing a few of the berries. She loved Kuo berries and so did I. Though it was time for me to leave on my own. I walked towards her and nuzzled her while saying,

"Kaida.....I can't stay here anymore. I have to go out on my own now. You understand don't you?"

"Sweety I knew this day would come. I've taken care of you ever since I saw you hit that tree years ago. I know I can't replace your mother, but that doesn't mean I can't act like one towards you. Just before you leave promise me you will come and visit every once and a while. Ok?," she said tearing up slightly.

"I will never forget you Kay. I promise when I have started my life and my own path I will visit you," I said while feeling her tears hit my muzzle. As she gave me one last hug she gave me two Kuo berries and waved as I made my leave. Resisting the smell of the berries was useless so I ate them and held up a paw as I walked away. I walked for a couple of hours in the opposite direction of Flame Valley.

Walking through the wilderness of Poke Island was dangerous though I didn't care. Feeling a little ache in my paws I decided to rest. I sat and leaned on a tree for a couple of minutes before hearing a scream. Using my sensitive hearing I located the origin of the scream. Using agility I arrived with smoke trailing right behind me.

Looking around I saw the same arcanine I saw before surrounded by a group of Donphan. Knowing she wouldn't stand a chance against that many I used Ice Beam and froze three of them at the same time. The female arcanine looked at me along with the other 5 Donphans. Giving them a evil grin I jumped to a branch and back to the ground quickly to get behind them. I used Ice Beam again freeze 2 more. Now that there were only 3 left I began getting closer.

One of the Donphan got really angry and began charging towards me. I only took one step back before using Agility. Reaching to my top speed I used FireSpin and had a horrific collision with the Donphan. The impact between use sent use both flying. Of course I landed my paws on a tree and jumped to the ground, but he hit the earth and fainted. Having only two left I used Ice Beam again to freeze the last two, but I had to aim carefully since I didn't want to freeze her.

She looked at me with a face that meant she couldn't believe what she had just saw. I walked towards her to ask,

"Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm ok. Thank you very much," she said in a adorable voice.

Trying to control my breathing I said, "Well that's good to know. Oh yeah and by the way I'm Zyruss."

" My name's Shasha and I'm sorry from walking away from you earlier. I just don't like to be stared at.," she explained.

"Oh, sorry about that. Your elicit beauty along with the fact that I haven't seen a female in years caused me to stare.," I said blushing red on my white fur.

Blushing a light pink under her light orange fur she said,"Thank you. Also if you don't mind, can I join you?"

"Sure! Come on!," I shouted cheerfully.


	2. Another Outcast

As the two of us traveled long and far the light of day began to fade away. Seeing this I walked to a nearby cave that was deserted. After entering and laying down I suggested,

"I know its not the best location to sleep, but it will have to do."

I could tell Shasha had agreed when she laid right next to me. The feeling of her warm fur was all I could feel as she laid her head on my side. Not wanting her to feel the icy cold feeling of my fur I started thinking about blazing fire. As heated thoughts filled my head my fur started to warm up. I could tell that I was getting hotter when Shasha said softly "Your really warm and cozy."

Knowing that she was comfortable I was able sleep myself. Once in a deep sleep I began dreaming about how I evolved into an arcanine. It was a vague memory though I was able to remember it. As the darkness that filled my sight disappeared I looked at myself and saw I was a silver growlithe again. Looking around I found out I was in the arms of my friend Kaida. For some reason she was running though I didn't know from what.

As she ran through the forest stomping bushes and berries I saw there was a dead end up ahead. Kaida running faster and faster with every step she took did not know this and before she knew it she was trapped. Turning around I that she was surrounded by 5 blastoists. Placing me gently on the ground she yelled, "Run Zyruss! Run as far away from here as possible!"

I didn't have no other choice, so I began running. I passed a couple of bushes before stopping and running back. I didn't want her to see me, so I hid in a bush and watched the scene carefully. Looking at the blastoists I heard one say,

"You should have gave us the cub, but now since he's gone we will have to destroy you. Prepare your cannons boys let's show her our Hydro Destruction!"

Watching them lower and aim their cannons at Kaida I felt a burning sensation fill my entire body. I ignored the feeling knowing that Kaida being a fire-type wouldn't be able to survive 5 water-type attacks simultaneously. So I stared at Kaida and started sprinting as fast as I could when I heard the leader yell, "Fire!"

Seeing they all used the attack Hydro Pump I jumped right in front of Kaida keeping the attack from reaching her. The blasts of water were so powerful they forced me right into her arms. Feeling at the point of death I barely heard Kaida yell my name with sadness in her voice. Barely having any strength left I shut my eyes slowly as I felt as if I were being emptied of ounce of my energy. Moments after I closed my eyes I began feeling the warmth of water droplets hitting my face. Every ounce of water droplets that hit my face gave me more and more energy for some reason.

Upon hearing Kaida crying I opened my eyes looking at her as she let tears fall from her face. I smiled at her and began glowing. The glow was the most vibrant any pokemon has ever seen and it was colored differently than a normal evolution glow. Right before her tear filled eyes I evolved into an arcanine. Feeling like a whole new pokemon I jumped out her arms facing the blastoists with no fear.

Staring at the leader with hatred in my eyes I heard him stutter,

"W-what?! I....it's impossible! No one has ever survived our Hydro Destruction. Let alone evolved from it. Wha...what type o pokemon are you?"

In a fierce voice I growled, "My name's Zyruss and I'm an Arcanine!"

Right after, I roared making the most luminous Ice Beam in the world erupt from my maw. The beam came at them at the speed of light. Still in shock the blastoists stood in there place like statues. A shine of light was revealed soon as the beam made contact. Watching as the light faded away Kaida and I saw that all of them were frozen solid. I looked at them for a couple seconds before turning and looking at Kaida.

I smiled at her tear filled face for a split second before collapsing right before her eyes. The energy less had completely filled my body, but this time I wasn't able to get back up. I watched as Kaida rushed to my side, yet I ended up passing out anyway. Once more I saw nothing, but the light less darkness. A few minutes later I opened my eyes to be blinded by the sun's light. Looking away slightly I accidentally pressed my muzzle against Shasha's.

She was already awake when I woke up, but I didn't know. The kiss lasted for a couple of seconds before I realized what happened. I moved my maw away from her's as I began blushing a hot red. Getting up quickly I heard her chuckle slightly and blush a vibrant pink. Feeling embarrassed I stuttered to say,

" I...I didn't mean to. It wa...was an accident I....I apologize."

"It's ok Zyruss. To tell the truth I kinda liked it," she said joyfully.

Not believing what my ears had just heard I turned to look at her. Still blushing I started staring into Shasha's shiny dark-red eyes as she stood beside me. Her beauty had me hypnotized into a deep trance that was nearly impossible to get out of. Watching as she came closer I felt her place her soft paw on top of mine. Seconds after she pressed her muzzle gently against mine.

Though this time I felt a different feeling, one that is like no other. After feeling this wondrous sensation I felt her pull away from my maw. I opened my eyes and saw her's staring into mine. I shook my head as if I had fleas and said,

"Uh...I think we should get going. There's still a long way to go."

"Whatever you say honey," she said softy.

"What was that?," I said in amazement.

"N..nothing. Let's get going!," she said happily.

It was apparent that she liked me,though I didn't know how much. While stretching my stiff bones I watched Shasha walk in front of me slowly swinging her tail. After I finished stretching I walked a little faster than her to catch up quickly. Soon as I was right next to her I tripped on a stone and fell face first. Feeling a little embarrassed I mumbled,

"Why do these things always happen to me?"

Slowly staggering to my paws I heard Shasha ask, "Zyruss? Are you ok?"

"Y...yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for asking," I responded.

Looking ahead of me I knew that there was a long journey ahead of my new associate and I. Glaring heavily at the obstacles ahead I gave off a long sigh and continued walking. Knowing that we didn't eat anything for breakfast I began searching for some Oran berry bushes. I was pretty sure that, that type of berry could satisfy our hunger and give us the energy we need to continue our journey.

After searching for almost an hour we finally stumbled upon some Oran berry bushes. I walked over to the bushes and started devouring the delicious fruit. Once the first few were in my stomach I felt my energy come back at lightning speed. Shasha wasn't eating any of the berries for some reason, so I stopped and asked,

"How come your not eating the berries? I only came here because I figured you were hungry."

Before she had a chance to answer I turned around and took a berry in my maw. When the fruit was secure in my muzzle I faced her and moved closer. Upon looking at the berry in my maw she asked,

"You want me to eat that berry?"

Giving only a single nod I watched as she shrugged her shoulders slightly. Not giving me a chance to place the fruit on the ground, Shasha kissed me and bit the berry in half in the process. Mildly stunned I fell on my tail as soon as she released the kiss. Still in a slight daze, I didn't notice her go to the bush and begin eating. Still tottering back and forth I began shaking my head wildly to come out of my daze.

Rising to my paws I heard a high pitched scream. I knew it wasn't an illusion since Shasha turned and looked at me soon as the sound was heard. We only heard the scream once, then we started hearing what sounded like a stampede. Unknowing of where the stampede was going put us both at risk. So I used my super sensitive ears to predict which way the Pokemon were charging. Once I knew I looked at Shasha and whispered, "Oh no."

Using agility I raced towards her and yelled, "Watch out!"

Right as I collided with her we began rolling out of the way of the stampede. We tumbled for a couple of seconds before coming to a stop. After coming to a mild stop Shasha ended up being on top, which made me feel uncomfortable. Shasha, still resting her head on my mane, finally came back to life after the first few seconds.

She opened her eyes to find my Ice-blue ones staring at her's. We blushed fiercely before rising to our paws. Once I was standing again I started thinking. I saw a short flash back of the recent event. Though this time I noticed a small blue Pokemon running from those charging Garchomps. Staring into space I heard Shasha ask,

"Zyruss! What's wrong!?"

"When I run pass those Garchomps I want you to make sure you don't get in their path, ok?," I said in a firm tone.

Her face went from concerned to serious as I told her, her instructions. I faced the direction the little blue pokemon was running and used agility. Right after I used it Shasha used it, so she wouldn't get left behind. While running as fast I could I began jumping from tree to tree to go even faster. When I was jumping from branch to branch I saw Shasha fade away in a blur as I got to the front of the stampede. Just like in my vision I saw that same little Pokemon being chased. While getting further ahead of the enraged Garchomps I started pondering quickly of a plan to save the little blue one.

Turning into more of a blur I got a couple of feet in front of the mob. I jumped to the trunk of a tree and crouched to get a firmer grip. Then right as the blue Pokemon was passing I launched forward snatching him up in my maw. Only seeing a white blur the Garchomps stopped dead in their tracks sliding slightly. Not caring, I flew towards a tree at sonic speed.

Concentrating hard I placed my paws on the tree's trunk and performed a backflip before landing flat on my paws. Breathing heavily I knew Shasha would probably search for me, so I jetted off in the opposite direction towards her. Seeing nothing but blur as I sped past, I noticed a orange blur to my right. So I Tried my best to stop and began sliding on the dirt leaving a giant cloud of smoke. Then once my footing was good again I leaped through the large cloud and ran at normal speed towards her.

When she was clear in my vision I yelled, "Shasha!"

I could tell she heard my call, since she turned around to face me. Though right as I was face to face with her I said, "Shasha there's no time for talking right now! We have to leave! Now."

Left speechless she followed me as I ran normally in the opposite direction of the Garchomps. For almost an hour we constantly ran while maneuvering around trees and boulders until we came upon a waterfall. Upon looking at Shasha I received a gracious nod. Facing the cliff again I began jumping on the rocks that supported the waterfall.

In seconds I got to the top and started watching Shasha as she made her last jump. Exhausted I placed the dizzy little blue pokemon on the ground and passed smooth out. While laying on the ground I stared at the little pokemon. I saw that it was a vulpix, but it was different. It was blue! Normally a vulpix would be a mixture of red and burgundy, but this one was blue.

Stumbling over to where I was I heard the vulpix ask, "Woooo! Can we do that again?"

Panting heavily I was barely able to squeezed out a "no."

Laying as if lifeless in the soft grass I watched as Shasha stuttered,

"Y...your blue!? I've never seen a blue vulpix before."

"No one has. I've always been treated like an outcast for it, but I don't care. That's why I ran away," she said in a cute little voice.

"That's not fair. Everyone should be able to be treated equally. No matter what color they are," Shasha protested. Getting ready to say something else Shasha was interrupted by the vulpix who said,

"If your wondering what my name is, it's Kerli," she said happily.

When I was well rested I sat up, but I was sure they didn't notice. Grinning happily Shasha said,

"Well I'm Shasha and it's nice to meet you Kerli," Shasha softly said.

Kerli smiled and asked, "Who is that arcanine over there?"

Shasha turned to smile at me while saying, "That's Zyruss. He's the one that rescued you."

Smiling cheerfully Kerli thanked me and nuzzled in my silky fur. Feeling curious I asked,

"Hey Kerli, why were those Garchomps chasing you?"

Sitting beside me she responded, "I ate some of their berries, plus they didn't like the fact that I was blue."

Not wanting to see her get upset I said, Hey don't worry about it. I mean look at me, I'm a silver arcanine. Most arcanines are orange like Shasha over there, but I'm not. To me I'm an albino and I kinda like it. It shows how different you are and how different you can be."

Watching as a smile crept to her face she said, "Thank you. I needed that."


	3. The Shocking Truth

As the three of us held a nice little conversation I started gazing at the sun as it set over the mountains. Though for some reason the conversation came to a stand still when I turned back around. A puzzled look crept to my face as they stared suspiciously at me. Feeling slightly awkward I said,

"Uh...is there something I did wrong or something?"

Even though my question was heard, it was unanswered. Shrugging my shoulders I walked next to a tree and laid down. Seeing the sun fall behind the mountains I suggested,

"Kerli, Shasha, I think we all should get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us in the morning."

With that being said, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. Though as I rested I felt a bone-chilling sensation fill my body. The feeling forced my body to shiver throughout the duration of night. My shivering came to an end once the sun rose. Noticing the warmth emitting from the sun I slowly opened my eyes. Rising to my paws, I stretched for a while, and popped some of my bones.

As I stood there I yawned for a couple of seconds before walking around. It was very pleasant at the moment, chatots were humming, wingulls flying, and the breeze flowed through my fur making it wave. I looked over at Shasha and Kerli to see them still asleep. I looked down to shake my head when I heard my stomach growl.

The sound was pretty loud, but not enough to wake anybody. Making sure I didn't wake anyone I avoided leaves and twigs that laid on the ground. When it was clear that I was a good distance away from them I began running. Step after step I came closer to the edge of the cliff we climbed yesterday.

Speeding up I came to the edge quickly and leaped from a rock to a tree, and from that tree to the ground.

Taking long, deep breathes I looked around before searching for berries to eat. Trying my hardest to remember where they were located, I began walking through the thick forest. Looking left and right I found nothing, though that didn't end my search. I continued to search bushes and trees for something to eat, but there was still nothing to be found. Tiring of my failure, I used agility to speed up my searching.

Running past trees and through bushes I came to the river that lead to the waterfall where my friends and I slept. Knowing they were the opposite direction of the river's flow I decided to follow the river. Minutes passed as I trudged along the river's bank to find out that it lead right to some bushes that were full of fruit. Even though I found fruit to eat another problem arose. How was I gonna get the berries to the others?

Pacing around a bush I looked around and saw an unusual tree. I glared at it's rather abnormally large leaves and got a thought. Then I leaped up to the leave and snatched one out the tree. Laying it on the ground I began gathering berries and placing them on the leaves. Since there were only three of us I really didn't have to gather a huge amount. Once I was finished I picked up the sturdy leaf by all its edges and headed back to the waterfall.

As I was making my leave I heard a rattling in the trees. Knowing I myself didn't want to be a battle made me run to the waterfall. Even though I wasn't scared, I still didn't want to fight. After running for a few minutes I found myself looking up at the rocks I climbed yesterday. Shaking my head slowly from left to right I began hopping from rock to rock reaching the top in seconds. Panting heavily I looked back to see that there was no one there. With the leaf still in my maw acting as a bag, I carried it over to where Shasha and Kerli slept. Laying the bag down gently I saw a couple of berries roll left and right. Smiling slightly I got a few that were on the edge of the leaf and walked to the edge of the cliff and laid there.

While eating the berries I felt the most pleasant breeze flow through my fur. After finishing my last delectable fruit, I decided to take a little nap. Drifting to sleep peacefully I dreamed about seeing my mother again. Wishing I could feel her loving embrace and the softness of her fur. Though enjoying every second of my wonderful memories began to feel awkward inside me. After seeing my past in my sleep I felt myself being nudged slightly.

Opening my eyes I saw Shasha standing over me while Kerli was sitting on my back. Opening my maw to yawn I heard Shasha say softly,

"Thank you for the berries, they were delightfully good."

"Mhmm," Kerli agreed jumping off of me to go get another.

As I got ready to get up I saw something staring at me from a bush on the lower ground. I stared at what seemed to be a pokemon as it glared at me. Suddenly it moved quickly and before I knew it glowing leaves were flying towards me. Acting as quickly as possible I yelled,

"Get Down!"

Knocking Shasha to the side I felt my hind leg get cut by two of the flying leaves. Surprised from the sudden attack Shasha asked,

"Zyruss what's going on?!"

"We're being attacked! I'm pretty sure it a grass-type, but that's all I know. Shasha watch Kerli," I said with firmness in my voice.

I jumped from the cliff's rocks until I was on the lower ground again. Looking around carefully for the attacker I heard the bushes rattle. I turned towards them to see a Scyther jump out quickly. Glaring at me with anger in it's eyes I saw him prepare to use leaf blade. Knowing he was a grass-type I used Flamethrower right as he charged towards me. After unleashing my fierce attack I saw it fall to one knee, but that didn't stop it from staggering back to it feet.

Not wanting him to use Quick-Attack I charged towards him and used TakeDown. The impact from the blow sent the Scyther right into a tree. Immediately after the blow I felt the recoil, but shook it off seconds later. Watching the Scyther struggle to get and fail made me feel horrible inside. Not wanting to leave it severly injured I went to our pile of Oran berries and got two. After retrieving them I walked over to the badly injured Scyther and laid them right next to it.

"I'm sorry. I hope those help," I said gently before leaving to climb the cliff once more.

Slightly tired from the battle I ate an oran berry and shook it off. Right as I digested the berry I heard Shasha ask,

"What just happened Zyruss? What's going on!?"

"There's no time for explanation, grab Kerli, and follow me," I explained walking past the tree we slept next to.

Glancing to my right I saw Shasha walk up beside me with Kerli in her maw. Still glancing I saw her look slightly towards me and give a single nod. When I knew she was ready I used Agility and disappeared with her right behind me. As we passed tree after tree, it began to get darker. Feeling a little odd I looked left to right and noticed that this part of the wilderness was thicker than the rest. It was also cooler than the rest of the forest too.

After using agility for almost an hour I decided that we have traveled enough. I let Shasha know by shouting,

"Hey, Shasha lets rest for a bit. Ok?"

"Ok," she shouted back.

Seconds after, I stopped running and slid a few feet leaving another dust cloud behind me. Moments later Shasha walked through the cloud with the vulpix still gripped in her maw. The little vulpix's eyes were swirls for some reason, but Shasha still lowered her head to let Kerli down. Now being able to speak Shasha asked,

"What happened back at the waterfall?"

"We were being attacked, or at least I was," I stated before looking at the ground.

"What do you mean you were being attacked," Shasha asked tilting her head sideways.

"This may sound ridiculous but...I think my dad wants me dead," I said shaking my head in confusion.

Shasha walked in front of me and sat down looking directly into my eyes. After staring for a few seconds she beseeched,

"Zyruss please...tell me whats really going on!"

Finally coming back to her senses, Kerli looked around and saw the two of us face to face. The vulpix's curiosity wanted her to find out why we were face to face, but when she saw tears forming in Shasha's eyes she decided not to.

Tearing up slowly Shasha continued to stare at me with worry in her eyes. I took a long sigh and explained,

"Shasha, ever since I was a cub I've been this color. I thought it would be awesome to be a different color, but I was sadly mistaken. After I had change to this color my mom nuzzled me and kissed me for just being alright. She never knew what was going on, she thought something bad was gonna happen to me, but I only changed colors. Though unlike my mom, my dad grabbed me and took me to the elders where I found out minutes later that I was 'The Growlithe of Snow.' They said that "I couldn't live there any longer for my existence there would bring many storms of cold."So one of the elders took me away."

After telling her my past I got up and walked to a tree to sit behind it. Shasha's tears had disappeared after I had told her my history. She looked at Kerli who was about to cry. Kerli weeped in a low sniffling voice,

"I....I thought my life was bad growing up, b...but it'll never match up to his."

Looking from the tree to Kerli Shasha told the vulpix to "stay there for a second." Walking slowly towards the tree I heard Shasha paws crushing leaves along with her whispering my name a couple times. When she finally was next to me, I just continued staring at the ground. Upon feeling a cold sensation fill my body I began to breath cold air. Shasha still next to me started whispering calmly,

"Zyruss, I...I never knew you had been through so much."

Without saying a word I turned my head slightly feeling colder than normal. Feeling sorry for me Shasha attempted to nuzzle me, but was interrupted by the icy fog coming from my body. The fog was so cold that part of the tree had been frozen. Though that didn't stop her from walking to sit in front of me. Never feeling this a day in my life, I started to change colors very slowly, yet she stilled wanted my happiness.

Shasha moved closer and placed her paw on my chest. At this time I was so cold that a small fog cloud had formed from her touch. Moving her paw further up she lifted my muzzle to press hers against it. She continued the kiss while she used her other paw to push me until I fell over. Slowly I laid on the ground just to be sat on by her. Then she kissed me again, but this time it felt a little seductive. Even though I knew she was going to try to get me back to normal, I didn't know what methods she was going to use. After a while I began feeling like my old self again.

After keeping our muzzles together for a few minutes I heard Kerli walk up and say,

"HEY! What's going on here!?"

Shasha parted from my muzzle and said,

"Zyruss was really down, so I decided to cheer him up. If you don't believe me look at the tree."

Tilting her head in curiosity the vulpix glanced at the tree to see it covered in ice. While Kerli was astonished at the sight, Shasha slowly got off of me to let me up. Sitting up I felt the sensation go away making feel like my normal self. Once I was sitting up right Shasha licked my cheek gracefull and asked,

"Better now?"

With my muzzle still red I nodded and responded,

"Much better."

Kerli still staring at the ice covered tree shouted,

"You did.....THIS!? Without using an attack....whoa! I better not get on your bad side."

We all laughed cheerfully, enjoying every second. Though during our laughter I noticed something very familiar. It was a star clawed into a big tree with some letters carved in the center. When I took a few steps towards it I heard the laughter die out slowly. When there was no more laughing Shasha ask cheerfully,

"Whatcha looking at Zyruss?"

"Memories...it's time for you two to meet some old friends," I said with a smile forming on my muzzle. After looking at the special tree I began walking past the tree to an old trail. Shasha paced herself to catch up with me while carrying Kerli on her back. Curious as always Kerli asked,

"Where are we going? When will we get there? Does it lead to food? What did you mean by memories?"

"Relax little one. Everything will be revealed in the time to come," Shasha stated slightly looking at Kerli.


	4. The New Enemy

Continuing on the old trail I walked into a dark damp cave. Walking right beside me Shasha asked scared slightly,

"Uh...Zyruss is it o...okay to walk through here?"

Answering her question with a single nod I continued till a bright light was revealed to us all. Barely able to see Kerli asked,

"What's up with that bright light?!"

Still walking into the blinding light I saw a silhouette of what looked like a buizel. Becoming excited I began to run slightly to the figure. A few seconds later Shasha ran in behind me. When all of us were officially inside, the bright light faded away allowing us to see. After blinking a while Shasha and Kerli both were astonished at the sight. They saw crystals of many shapes and sizes along with a cute adorable buizel. While they were still marveled I announced,

"Welcome to Crystal Cavern! Beautiful isn't it?"

Still in amazement all they did was nod. Upon hearing my voice the buizel asked,

"Zyruss? I...is that you?"

Jumping out of the sparkling water the buizel got closer and shouted,

"It is you!"

Smiling happily as I saw my old friend rush towards me, I took a few steps forward, and got pounced on by him.

"Zyruss I haven't seen you in ages and you evolved! So how ya been these days," the buizel asked with excitement.

Laughing slightly I blinked a little and noticed that Bwangel had gotten bigger since the first time I met him and responded,

"Eh...I've been better, but other than that to sum up all you missed, I met a beautiful arcanine, rescued a vulpix, and is now traveling towards the mountains."

As the buizel's eyes got bigger he started to say something, but stopped got down and jumped back in his lake. Freed of an insecure pounce, I sat up and looked over at Shasha who was still beside Kerli as they slowly walked in my direction. I watched them get closer for a couple seconds before turning back around to see Bwangel walking back in my direction soaking wet. Tilting my head I looked at him seeing a shiny object in his paw. As he came close to me I started to ask,

"Hey Bwangy, I was wondering..."

"Here, I want you to have this."

After being interrupted I looked at the glittery necklace with a silver jewel in the middle as he held in front of me. Trying my best to not show any emotion I lowered my head not expecting my buizel to jump and place around my neck. Sitting up quickly from feeling the icy cold steel through my fur I saw a small smile revealing his tiny fangs. I leaned down and nuzzled him softly feeling him clench and hang on to my fur. As I sat back up he released my fur slowly letting the necklace fall gently against my chest. I turned and glanced at Shasha and Kerli for a second then looked back at Bwangel. As I looked at him I stuttered,

"Bw...Bwangel...may I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure! What?"

"Kerli could you come over here?"

Slowly she took her time walking over to us. As she took her last step I asked,

"Can you take care of Kerli for me?"

Blinking furiously he gave a single nod, hugged my fur and let go slowly allowing me to fade away as I walked out the Cavern. Shasha ran and gave Kerli a final good bye nuzzle and ran out the cave trying to catch up with me. As she met up with me I glanced at her slightly and continued walking. Unsure about her curiosity she remained silent about why I allowed Kerli to stay with Bwangel. As the thoughts of Kerli and Bwangel getting along coursed my mind I paid no attention to the rock in front of me and tripped over it and fell. Seeing this Shasha blinked and rushed to my side asking,

"Are you okay Zyruss?!"

"...yeah. Guess I wasn't paying attention."

Shasha got next to me and nuzzled my cold fur softly murring at its silky texture. As we sat there in the middle of a dark forest the sound of snapping branches filled my ears. They perked up as I pushed Shasha to the side jumping out of the way of an unsuspected branch that fell. Soon as it was on the ground my attention went directly to my companion,

"Hey! You okay?"

"Yes and thank you."

Jumping over the branch I got right next to her listening closely to nature's melody. Uneasy about the sudden branch I turned and said stiffly,

"Stay close to me."

She nodded and stuck at my side as I walked slowly through the now shrouded forest. Recognizing that the move fog was just used, I used Icy Wind to clear the way as we traveled. Walking steadily beside me neither Shasha nor I expected the rope trap that caught her paw. As the rope mercilessly yanked her up, a maniacal laughter filled the air. I glared up at Shasha with disbelief as she hit the thick tree a couple of times that contained the rope. I immediately shouted,

"Shasha! Hang on!"

"Zyruss! Help!"

Soon as I leaped into the air I was attacked and knocked to the ground snarling. The sound of the laughter filled the air once again as I sat and concentrated on the unknown Pokémon. Literally in my mind everything around me slowed down as I heard it take a step crumpling up leaves. When I knew where its location was, I used Take Down in that direction hearing it yelp and collide with a tree. Slightly hurt from the recoil I blew away the rest of the fog with Icy Wind revealing that it was a Houndoom, but it was different than any ordinary Houndoom.

As it stood I noticed the bones on its back were longer signifying that it was a female. She growled furiously at me as she stood. Her hatred filled eyes locked with mine as I took a step back. She smirked with evil thoughts as she readied an attack. I predicted it would be a fire-type move so I used Aurora Beam soon as she used Flamethrower. My attacked over whelmed the flamethrower and forced the houndoom harder into the trunk of the tree behind her. She appeared to be unconscious afterwards, so I wasted no time getting back to Shasha. Immediately I leaped and sliced the rope with my paw, rushing down the trunk to catch her on my back. I let her down and told her to immediately "run!"

As she ran I traveled close behind making sure she wouldn't get attacked again. We ran for at least an hour until we stumbled upon a dry cave. Rushing inside the slightly lit cave Shasha stumbled over a stone causing both of us to go into a mildly painful tumble. As we came to a stop I found myself looking at her blinking furiously not knowing I was upside-down stuck in a cavity. Flailing violently I struggled to wiggle loose to slowly land on my belly. I laid there slightly exhausted from the various movements panting mildly as my silky fur rested over my eyes. Still resting I heard Shasha's paw steps get closer as I groaned,

"I'm okay...just a little tired."

Her steps went silent for a second but became louder as she continued walking close to me. I felt a faint warmth on my chilly body as she laid close. Using a paw to move my fur behind my ear I looked at her with icy blue eyes smiling faintly. The cave we were in became dim as the sun began setting over the distant mountains. As the cave went black we remained quiet still close to each other.cfghcgfjfgjfghjfghjfghjfghjf ghjfgjfgjfghjfgjfghgfhjfgfgh jfghjfghjghjfghgfhj

"I'll be right back," I said getting up going outside to fetch some branches.

Wondering through the dark forest I spotted some Noctowls perched stiffly on some jagged branches. Wondering around for a few minutes I discovered a small fragile tree and snatched it out of the ground. After retrieving my object I made my way back to the dark cave to see Shasha curled up in the small cavity I was stuck in. As my paw steps remained stealth I walked past her a few feet and laid the tree down softly making no noise. I breathed in deep and used ember to set the wood a blaze watching as it provided light in the cave. I turned slowly to see Shasha walking over to the crackling flame. She nudged me lightly and laid near the flame using it to rid herself of the chill from the ground. Lying next to her I passed out smoothly from the exhausting day going directly into a deep sleep.

Blinking and moaning in pain loudly the houndoom stood shakily and growled,

"Damn that Arcanine! If it wasn't for her my plan would have worked! I will have the legendary Ice Arcanine if it's the last thing I do"

She limped for a few minutes but soon began walking as if nothing occurred. After a walking for a while in the dark forest the houndoom finally halted at an enormous stone. She smirked as she used her horn to cut her paw mildly. As the thick red substance slowly dripped from her paw she pressed it hard against the stone watching as it made the rock luminescent. Her blood glowed on the rock as it stretched showing the many markings similar to those of ancient times. As the vibrant red glow faded the rock slid to the side opening up a large cavern. As she walked in the boulder drug itself over the entrance and kept her inside. She sighed out a small flame before using fire spin to light the candles scattered in her cavern. As the space was lit it revealed her messy pile of grass, leaves and pine needles that she sleeps on.

As she walked in and laid on the messy grass trying to get comfortable; she snarled and mumbled,

"You will be mine Zyruss..."

As the dull light shined in the dry cave I squinted opening my eyes slowly noticing Shasha still asleep next to me. As I blinked slowly clearing me vision I yawned slightly trying to awaken my body. Resistant and stiff my body fought me every second I was rising to my paws. Once I was up I stretched and relaxed my bones and muscles ridding myself of the annoying stiffness. While standing, a shadow suddenly appeared over the cave making me turn quickly to only see Ho-Oh flying past the sun. I watched the sparkles shine brightly as they flowed from the Bird's tail.

Soon as the Pokémon flew out of distance and turned to see that Shasha wasn't there. After tilting my head in confusion I looked around and accidentally brushed my maw against hers. I blinked looking at her, stepping back muttering while blushing,

"Y...you did it on purpose this time..."

"Yup tee hee."

"Oh come on"

Blushing bright red I walked past her letting my silky tail slide across her face making her giggle.

"That tickles."

She followed me as I walked out into the sun out onto the soft grass getting ready to search for some breakfast.


End file.
